Training and Professional Development

Grants Management Training and Professional Development

According to the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM), professional development and career training for grants management is critical to success. The grantee and subgrantee agencies that receive and administer federal funding must place a priority on identifying competencies and subject areas typically used in grants management and create opportunities for training and development for the staff to meet those standards and address those areas.

Training and Technical Assistance

The NCJA provides training and technical assistance (TTA) to support recipients of funding from public and private entities to fulfill the requirements attached to this support. We provide grants management training technical assistance to the state administrators of federal assistance. Contact Carol Poole, NCJA Senior Policy Advisor, at cpoole@ncja.org for more information about grants management TTA.

Professional Associations

National Grants Management Association

The National Grants Management Association (NGMA) is recognized throughout the grants management industry as the membership association leader providing tools for grants professionals to support and maintain high levels of grants management competency and to establish standards of excellence for grants managers. NGMA provides comprehensive full lifecycle grants management training, professional certification, continuing professional education, resources and a forum for networking for grants industry professionals. NGMA serves all levels of government (federal, state, local, tribal), non-profit organizations, foundations, institutions of higher education and affiliated private sector organizations. Collectively, NGMA members are responsible for the management of billions of dollars in grants.

Training offered by the NGMA includes the Monthly Grants Training series offers the latest in grants management training through live training sessions, which provide the opportunity for networking with other grants professionals and earning Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits. They also have a library of tape-delay webcasts of the monthly grants training sessions for viewing at your convenience -- at any time, from any computer. On-Demand webcasts do not earn CPE's, however for those holding the CGMS credential, the Commission will accept them as non-accredited CPE's towards re-certification

NGMA also hosts a Live Webinar series on the changes to the new grants guidance. Those participating on the live webinar will be able to earn CPE's. These webinars will also be recorded and will be available as an on-demand webcast, for viewing at your convenience -- at any time, from any computer. On-Demand webcasts of the recorded live webinar do not earn CPE's; however for those holding the CGMS credential, the Commission will accept them as non-accredited CPE's towards re-certification.

Grant Professionals Association

The Grants Professionals Association (GPA) has a growing international and affiliate chapter membership of close to 2,000 active members, all of whom have an interest in the grants profession. GPA members come from all sectors of the international grants community. They represent education, government, the nonprofit sector and private enterprise. They include grant developers, managers, funders, administrators, planners and evaluators. All promote and support the mission and philosophy of the association. Membership is open to any individual with an interest in, and commitment to, the grants profession.

GPA offers a full range of membership benefits, including a subscription to the Association's "Take it for Granted" newsletter, the GPA Journal, participation in the GPA forum, along with reduced conference fees, training, and more. The GPA's entire catalog of webinars is also available to GPA members for free.

News and Information

Thompson Information Service

Thompson Information Service's Grants Compliance Expert (GCE) is a great online resource for the latest news and information about grants topics and development. Includes sections on Laws and Proclamations, Tools and Forms, Grants Development, and Special Reports and Newsletters. Access to the Grants Compliance Expert requires a subscription.

Professional Training

Management Concepts

Management Concepts is another resource for professional training and development with courses offered throughout the United States and online. Since 1973, Management Concepts has collaborated with and supported every major agency in the federal government and thousands of state and local government offices, unleashing the potential of more than one million individuals and enhancing the performance of teams and organizations. They offer high-impact training courses designed to help professionals develop the skills, knowledge, and capabilities needed to succeed in today’s challenging work environment. Our courses support a host of mandatory, elective, and continuous learning needs at every level of development. Over 250 courses are available in a number of cities throughout the United States and all of our training courses adhere to our industry-leading content authoring methodology and stringent course design standards.